Les Paul static issue?

[DanielGD5]

Hi! It's my first post on this forum after completing google, searching for my issue.

I bought the Les Paul Deluxe Player 2018 Satin Vintage Sunburst with mini-humbuckers last year and it's an awesome guitar.  Last week I encountered some weird static noise during a gig when I moved around on stage. When I rubbed the guitar against my body (walking) or when I touch the back of the body (more noticeably  when I brush my hand across the plastic cover for the volume and tone controls) I get this weird static/scratchy noise. 

The static sounds like a broken cable crackling, but I've tested with different cables and with the plastic cover off. Noise is still there.

I've tested brushing my hand over the back of the guitar and the static noise can only be heard where the electronics are. There's no static noise from the front of body. 

 

I've looked inside the cavity for volume and tone and everything looks good, no bad wiring or anything that seems out of place.  I also checked the jack input and here everything seems to be okay.

Volume and tone pots are placed on a print card.

1. Have you encountered this before?

2. Do anyone have a fix for this?

I'm don't have the best guitar tech knowledge, so if you reply I hope you cold keep it "simple-stupid".

 

Here's a link to youtube to see for yourself:

Youtube video

 

*not that fluent in English, so if you need me to elaborate I'll do my best.

Edited December 21, 2019 by DanielGD5

[ksdaddy]

Wipe a dryer sheet over the plastic parts. It’s static. This happens to my Telecaster every winter. 

[DanielGD5]

5 hours ago, ksdaddy said:

Wipe a dryer sheet over the plastic parts. It’s static. This happens to my Telecaster every winter. 

 

Hi!

Thanks for the superfast answer. I tried something similar to dryer sheets, and it WORKED! Thank you! It's not that much of a cold winter in my country now with constant rain and 5+ Celsius.  So I don't think the humidity is that big of an issue. 

 

My next question would be:  Is there a long-term fix to this?

As I kept on playing this evening, I kind of "wiped" the antistatic solution off the guitar, and the problem occurred once again. 

 

After a second "deep-dive" into youtube and google, it seems like this has been an issue as far back as 2011. Is there any plastic-like solution Gibson now uses on the finish of the guitar that makes this static noise?  Would anti-static spray ruin the finish? 

[ksdaddy]

I’d be hesitant to spray anything. I’ve used dryer sheets for decades. One wipe last a long time. 

[kidblast]

It'll get less noticeable with age.   Some ppl claim that properly shielding everything does help.  It didn't seem to make a huge difference for me, although I doubt I took all the right steps to do a proper shielding job. Aas far as the youtube reference to 2011,  don't know about that .  My oldest gibson is a 1995 LP standard, and that did it for a while too.  Don't notice it much at all any more.

I would not use any sprays.  Nitro doesn't getting a long well with almost anything but nitro..

I think if you just give it time, it will dissipate as the nitro slowly and finally cures

Edited December 23, 2019 by kidblast

[DanielGD5]

Thanks for the replies!

 

I used copper tape on the inside of the plastic covers and earthed it to the guitar. This helped with the static on these parts.

It seems like the finish is the problem and Im hesitant on using anything on it as it is a 2000 dollar guitar, and I dont want to ruin it. (I can't wrap the whole guitar in copper tape, haha).

I think there's three options:

1. Live with it, use dryer sheets and hope it gets better with age. 

2. Re-do the finish competly on the back of the body with a good paint . Do the job Gibson can't...

3. Sell it and buy a guitar without the satin or the static finish.

 

I find it super weird when I look closely on the finish what a sloppy and bad painting job Gibsen have done. The pores aren't filled and the finish got the static issue. I can only guess, but it's probably a way to save money.. without sounding too bitter. Everything else with the guitar is fantastic. 

I suppose option 1 or 2...

Edited December 24, 2019 by DanielGD5
Typo

[Wowbagger]

I have a 2017 SG that had the same problem as the OP, brushing against the rear cover and screws gave a lot of noise.  Finally made a fix that seems to be permanent. I had a conductive plastic box that was about the same thickness and texture as the rear cover plate, cut a new plate out of that and installed it so a bare spot on the ground wire was against it on the inside. No more noise. In a previous life those boxes contained static sensitive parts and were thrown away by the dumpster full, I put ohmmeter leads a couple inches apart and get like 50K ohms resistance so it is fairly conductive stuff. It wouldn't take much for Gibson to add a bit of something that conducts to their plastic formula to eliminate this problem. Yeah, its shielded now, but more than that, static no longer builds on the plastic surface and discharges in to me. A guy with more ambition than me could probably make decent coin on the bay making these....

[Leonard McCoy]

I'd be interested to know what measures Gibson themselves would recommend doing in this case.

Personally, I would swap the backplates completely with new ones from the Gibson shop or custom-made ones. Gibson seem to have used a new manufacturer for the ones used on your Les Paul (structured back) and they don't fulfill their purpose of shielding at all or the finish was statically charged from the beginning and the control cavity and covers don't offer the necessary protection. Especially touching the screws of the backplates seems to unleash a wave of static popping.

Apart from buying new backplates I'd do the following:

• Check the wiring especially the ground wire for anything out of the ordinary. The wires should also not be standing up tall like an antenna, for then they function as one.
• Put some shielding/grounding tape on the back of the plastic backplates if you decide to stick with the old ones. These are made of a new type of plastic and apparently prone to such issues. It should be mentioned that this normally isn't necessary with a Les Paul.
• Also, run a strip of shielding tape (copper) from the bottom of the cavity along the side of the cavity up to the top so that it touches the now-shielded backplate.

Edited January 2, 2020 by Leonard McCoy

[kidblast]

On 12/24/2019 at 8:26 AM, DanielGD5 said:

I find it super weird when I look closely on the finish what a sloppy and bad painting job Gibsen have done. The pores aren't filled and the finish got the static issue. I can only guess, but it's probably a way to save money.. without sounding too bitter. Everything else with the guitar is fantastic. 

 

You purchased a guitar with a Satin Vintage finish.   This is exactly they way it was intended to be.    Nothing sloppy or bad about it,  it's the definition of an "it is what it is" situation.

[NighthawkChris]

Even my Historics fall victim to this.  My 1994 LP Standard still makes crackles if I rub the back of the guitar...  The real solution is to just not try to listen to it, because it doesn't come out to bite you if you're not trying to make it happen.  This issue reminds me of people who obsess over perfect intonation too.  There are some things that aren't going to be fixed.  If it bothers someone that much, don't get a Gibson.  Not trying to take a tone, but there is literally NOTHING you can do to alleviate this issue.  The internet has raved about this saying shielding works, time to cure, blah, blah.  I just live with it and honestly, I can't hear it when I don't think about it. 

The phenomenon is caused by you picking up a static electric charge - by rubbing an insulator on your guitar (pickguard, body, etc.) then accepting these free electrons which discharge through your properly grounded guitar.  Really the only solution that will work 100% of the time is to wear a wrist strap that makes your body continuous with the ground plane of your guitar.  This way, any time you pick up any remote charge or energy greater than that of the ground on the guitar, nearly instantly, that static energy is channeled to a source of lower electric potential - i.e. lower voltage. 

So either you live with it or get rid of the guitar - it's as simple as that really.  I just wouldn't obsess over it because you're definitely not the only LP owner that has this issue.  Trick is not to make it an "issue".  I feel it is better to tell it straight instead of offering tissues for your issues, haha!